One of my personal goals for the year was to conquer my long-standing fear of baking with yeast to make my own bread. We almost never eat grocery store bread, but we do rely quite heavily on our local bakeries and market vendors. And unlike the farm-fresh produce at the market, the baked goods aren’t always up to my organic/GMO-free standards. So when a favorite foodblogger of mine, Nicole of Pinch My Salt, posted a note on Twitter that she was thinking of cooking her way through Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice, it seemed like the perfect time to jump on the “bake your own” bandwagon. Apparently, more than a few other home cooks and bloggers had the same thought, as the list of participants is now 200 people strong! I’ll be making one bread a week (give or take), and you can follow along on the group site if you want to see others’ experiences with the same recipes. (Or follow #BBA on Twitter and see photos at Flickr.)
The first bread, Anadama, is a rustic New England recipe with cornmeal and molasses. The boy ate two slices for dessert tonight, so I think that’s a good sign.
My notes:
- I used dark (unsulphured organic) molasses, which gave the bread a rich, dark brown color; and my local cornmeal (Wye Mill, MD).
- Kneaded in the KitchenAid for 8 minutes.
- Didn’t shape the loaves evenly (need to re-read the shaping instructions before doing it) so they came out slightly lopsided.
- Grilled cheese: I’m envisioning white cheddar and pear on Anadama in the fall … so far we’ve just eaten it warm with farm-fresh butter.
Overall, this was a pretty simple recipe and tasted delicious. Here’s hoping future experiments go as smoothly!
Shared with Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop – check it out for more real food inspiration!
13 responses so far ↓
1 Kelly the Kitchen Kop // May 14, 2009 at 10:12 am
Hi Colleen,
Your bread looks beautiful! Thanks for joining in on RFW, and I stumbled you, too. 🙂
Kelly
2 carolyn // May 16, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Hi Colleen,
I am a very new blogger, and fellow BBA Challenge member, AND we are in the same city! Your bread looks great, by the way. I am also a fan of Polyface and got to hear Joel Salatin speak at the Lyceum a few months ago. Anyway, i can’t wait to see your Greek Celebration Bread – I’m sure it will be lovely!
Carolyn
3 Susie // May 18, 2009 at 4:52 am
Beautiful.
It is great baking along with you. 🙂
Susie
4 Haley J. // May 18, 2009 at 10:28 am
I love the step-by-step photo mosaic you posted – very nice, with a very cute ending! Looking forward to Artos – good luck!
5 Jenn @ Peteeatemall // May 18, 2009 at 11:43 am
The pics and post are adorable! Have fun with the Artos recipe. We loved it! Happy Baking!
6 Saara // May 19, 2009 at 12:21 am
I just had it as grilled cheese tonight. Highly recommended!
7 FoodieTots.com » Blog Archive » Artos the Greek Celebration Bread // May 26, 2009 at 10:36 am
[…] I haven’t used spray oils in years, but after slathering oil on the Anadama dough by hand I decided I should pay attention to Mr. Reinhart’s instructions. I was happy to […]
8 PB // May 27, 2009 at 2:14 am
I love the step-by-step photo mosaic you posted – very nice, with a very cute ending! Looking forward to Artos – good luck!
9 FoodieTots.com » Blog Archive » Breaking the Bread Baking Fast // Sep 29, 2009 at 12:05 am
[…] that long ago that I decided to join the Bread Baker’s Apprentice challenge, and breathlessly announced my plans for “a year in bread.” The first recipe, mercifully, was simple and turned out perfectly, and I thought I was hooked on […]
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